Women and children served by the Family Violence Prevention Program at the YWCA Wheeling now have access to transportation, thanks to a Mary Kay Foundation grant and the generosity of Roberta Olejasz of the Robinson Group auto dealership.
The program purchased a 2000 GMC Yukon XL and a 2005 Dodge Caravan using the $20,000 grant. The vehicles will be used by staff to travel to trainings, to transport clients to destinations such as the airport or the hospital, to pick up donations from local businesses, and to take children to school.
"They're in really good condition. It's great because they are four-wheel-drive, and we travel to some really rural areas in the winter time," said Debbie Wood, program director.
One of the Mary Kay Foundation's missions is domestic violence prevention, and as such funds research, educates lawmakers, funds emergency shelters and works to increase awareness. The $20,000 grant was part of the foundation's annual $3 million grant program, and the Wheeling program is one of 150 domestic violence organizations served.
Trisha Flanigan, deputy director, wrote the grant.
"This grant is such a blessing to the Family Violence Prevention Program in a variety of ways," Flanigan said. "Programs to help battered women and their children require a lot of resources. That's why we are so thankful the Mary Kay Foundation is helping us help families in the Ohio, Marshall and Wetzel counties."
Olejasz said the Robinson Group was pleased to make a deal with the program on the two vehicles.
"We support them wholeheartedly. We think their purpose is an amazing purpose, and we just want to do anything we can to help out," Olejasz said.
The vehicles already have been used to take an emergency shelter client and her son to Pittsburgh for his surgery, to take a client to the Pittsburgh airport so she could fly home to Texas for a court hearing, and to transport children to Head Start and Wheeling Park High School, Wood and Flanigan said.
The Family Violence Prevention Program serves victims of domestic violence and their children, through the Madden House emergency shelter, legal advocacy, supervised visitation, transitional housing, support groups, transportation and a 24-hour hotline, 304-232-2748 or 800-698-1247.
While the vehicles are a much-needed resource, the program is requesting donations of gasoline gift cards to keep the vehicles on the road.
To donate a gift card, mail it to the Family Violence Prevention Program, YWCA Wheeling, 1100 Chapline St., Wheeling, WV 26003, drop it off at the YWCA lobby.